Improvement in rims for tables



UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

ELISHA METS, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN RIMS FOR TABLES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 4i,230, dated January l2, 1864.

To all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, ELrsHA ME'rs, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Bent Rims or Flanges for Tables; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved rim bent in the form of a half-circle; Fig. 2, a plan of the bottom of a table having the rims applied to it; Fig. 3, an elevation of Fig. 2,

Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

My invention consists in a rim for applying to the under side of a table-leaf, bent into circular, rounded, or oval form, in such a manner as to form an article of manufacture to put into the market independently of the table, and to be applied at pleasure.

In ordinary round tables, or tables with rounded ends, the rim or flange which supports the lea-f is usually sawed in correspondingly-rounded sections or segments, which are glued together. There are several disadvantages in this. First, there is a great Waste of material in sawing it from the block in rounded form, and, consequently, great cost, especially when the ner woods-such as mahogany or black walnut-are employed; second, the joints of the sections are unseemly in a fine article of furniture, and it has been found necessary to veneer the rim, thus not only increasing the cost of material, but also that of labor; third, in producing the sections it is necessary to saw across the grain of the wood, and therefore it is not only difficult to produce a fine finish on the surface, but the rim is liable to be broken by any unusual strain or by coming in contact with any other body; fourth, a finished and complete rim cannot be made and put independently into the market as an article of manufacture capable of being applied to any table.

It is my object to avoid these difficulties. To secure this, I cut, saw, or form the rim A of suitable width, thickness, and length from the block straight with' the grain. I then steam, boil, or otherwise treat it so that it will be pliable, and bend it into the proper circular, rounded, or oval form to fit the table, as shown in Fig. l, and confine it in this position till it becomes fixed, when it retains its shape and is in suitable condition for the market. "When thus arranged, it may be provided or not, as may be desired, With an ornamental bead or other work, a, at the bottom.

It is apparent that the rim may be made in a half-circle, as shown in Fig. l, or a whole circle, or in only a segment of a circle, or it may be bent in oval, oblong, or other shape, as may be necessary. For application to eX- tension-tables, as shown in Fig. 2, the halfcircular form is particularly desirable.

By this arrangement I greatly economize material and labor in forming the rim. There are no joints in the same, and consequently no veneering. The rim is formed straight with the grain, and therefore there is no danger of breakage, and the surface admits of a fine finish, and the device is in a form to be conveniently transported in bundles or packages, the smaller ones fitting within the larger, and thus econolnizing space to the greatest degree, and it is of proper form to be applied to any table at pleasure.

I do not claim, broadly, steaming and bending wood, as I am aware that such has been long known and practiced; but

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent as a new article of manufacture, is-

The bent rim A, adapted especially to tables, constructed and arranged substantially as herein set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

E. METS.

Witnesses:

B. F. OsGooD, Guns. F. SPENCER. 

